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Dr Syd

@sydmj.bsky.social
1.9K followers 1.8K following 2.8K posts

Philosopher, bioethicist, med professor, vegan baker, k-drama enthusiast. I like books, baby animals, food. I think and write about brain death, death, brain injuries, xenotransplantation, and animal research ethics. Author of books n stuff.

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Reposted by Dr Syd
🌈Dr. Frizzle @swilua.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Holy shit I did not know this Incredible insight into Western Higher Education, going back to Oxford and Cambridge and still seen today from @harikondabolu.bsky.social
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Blue Oleta @blue-oleta.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
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Aidan McGlynn @aidanmcglynn.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Very worth reading the whole thing, but the opening paragraph on safety as an essential precondition for the university's pedagogical mission is terrific
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Katie Hodges-Kluck, PhD @klhkhistorian.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
**Lights Out Alert Sunday & Monday Nights** Birdcast is estimating 300-400 million birds will be in flight.
From meteorologist Eric Snitil

**Lights Out Alert Sunday & Monday Nights**

"Heads up birders, I would not be surprised if the biggest bird migration night of the year happens over the next 2 nights. Birdcast is estimating 300-400 million birds will be in flight. That is a lot, but the pattern could not be better for migratory birds. A massive area of high pressure will turn the low level winds from the northeast to the southwest across most of the US. The last time we had anything similar to this in the fall was early October last year when a record 1.25 billion birds were in flight. I doubt we get to that level, but I suspect the number will top 500 million especially Monday night which looks to be the bigger of the two nights. You can help by turning off those outdoor lights on big migration nights, and the next 2 nights is about as big as it gets."
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Ian Coldwater 🧊🚫 @lookitup.baby · 20/09/2026
Amtrak didn’t tell us about this exposure, so heads up: if you took an Amtrak train last week through Chicago or anywhere on the Southwest Chief, Coast Starlight, or California Zephyr routes like we did, you may have been exposed to measles! Please let the train people in your life know about this
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Lynda Dodd @ldodd.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Very interesting research - this NYT article discussing it focuses in particular on academic career trajectories. @jessicacalarco.com has done a lot as well in recent years to help graduate students navigate these challenges. ⤵️ www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/b...
nytimes.com
The Working Class Face a ‘Class Ceiling’ in Elite Occupations (Gift Article)
Being female or a person of color has long been seen as a disadvantage in hiring and promotion. A new study of college professors shows that class may loom as large.
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🗽LOLGOP🗽 @lolgop.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Are we accidentally training ourselves to be Blade Runners? My pal Andy and I look back at an experiment in LLM misuse from 2023, the "Blade Runner" moment, when we'd have to spend the rest of our lives wondering whether we're talking to robots. Andy notes that AI slop teaches us to spot fakes.
patreon.com
How Slop Is Training Us to Be Better Blade Runners | LOLGOP Studios
Behind a 2023 experiment in machine malice: What it taught me about human blame in an age of AI. The problem with what we talk about when we
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
This is not right. I can’t explain why, but hot sauce bottles must be tall. (Both 12 oz bottles) Still love the wood cap, Cholula.
Two Cholula hot sauce bottles,  the one on the left is tall and slender (and empty), the one on the right is the shorter and squat.
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
This blueberry cuppa cake was crazy easy to make and DAMN delicious
Blueberry cake in a glass baking dish. Cake on top, blueberries on the bottomTop view of half- eaten blueberry cake with a spoon
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
okay fine, I'll use Apple Maps or that map app that comes with my Toyota. What a stupid time to be alive. #LakeOntario4Ever #LakeOntario 🍁
image from Google maps showing Lake Ontario renamed Lake America
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Veronica 🌶️ @chilepepper.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Eminem shares a note from Dolly upon his induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on his IG
A personal note from Dolly Parton to Eminem upon his induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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Vicky Weber - Agent, Author, Educator 📚 @vickyweberbooks.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
To say I'm frustrated would be a massive understatement. vickyweberbooks.substack.com/p/the-publis...
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
If you have a small drawer in your home, and a lot tea, what is stopping you from making a Tea Library? Possibly my greatest kitchen innovation. (Helps to have someone in your household who enjoys organizing small things)
A tea library. A drawer full of colorful and neatly organized tea bags
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
I found a new reason to hate Tesla! I needed to charge my not-a-Tesla EV while stopping for lunch with my kids. There was a bank of Tesla chargers at the mall, so I begrudgingly pulled my car up. 1. charging cable so short it didn't reach my port. Had to park the car sideways. ...
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melora72.bsky.social @melora72.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
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Senator Ed Markey @markey.senate.gov · 18/07/2026
Today I made an unannounced visit to ICE’s facility in Scarborough, Maine. What I heard was unacceptable: no body cameras, no training, and no accountability. Johan Guerrero should be alive. Congress must act. Abolish ICE. End qualified immunity.
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Was in NYC this week, so I took a yellow cab, as one does. Then explained how back in the Before Times professional taxi drivers didn’t have GPS and just *knew* how to get places in the city. (Had a better cabbie in the return trip) I guess I’m now an Old Timer who misses the Old Ways™ 🚕
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
It would be cool if the lesson from all this was “Progressives should stop always elevating the deeply flawed white male savior draped in red flags when better ppl are right there.” But it probably won’t be. The Nazi tattoo should have been enough. 🚩
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
It would be difficult for me to care less about the #WorldCup, but I hope Cape Verde wins
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Happy Writing a Sternly Worded Letter to the King Day, to all who celebrate.
static.klipy.com
King George Iii Hamilton
ALT: King George Iii Hamilton
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
I'm one of the critics interviewed in this article about the latest abomination in animal agriculture. Should we take over the minds of animals? No, we definitely should not. #bioethics #AnimalEthics #neuroethics
sentientmedia.org
Neurotech Company Says Its Brain Chips Could Make Cows Produce More Milk, but at What Cost?
Critics tell Sentient that directing animals’ minds through neuromodulation raises serious questions about regulation and animal welfare.
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
A little birthday present for me, and a birthday F you to a shite human and garbage POTUS.
nytimes.com
Kennedy Center Removes Trump’s Name From Facade
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
My fantastic department, the Center for Bioethics and Humanities at Upstate Medical University, is growing and hiring for two TT positions! careers.upstate.edu/jobs/associa... careers.upstate.edu/jobs/associa... #bioethics #MedicalHumanities #ClinicalEthics
static.klipy.com
Join Us Penguin Huddle
ALT: Join Us Penguin Huddle
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Expectation vs reality. Still tasty tots.
Red bag of Dino tater tots, with tray of tots beneath it
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
We have bebe groundhog quadruplets!!!
Four baby groundhogs grazing on a green lawn, viewed through a window screen
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
The number of times this week I've been told that the hantavirus outbreak is "not Covid" makes me MORE not less inclined to think it is more Covid-like I would otherwise think. Doesn't help that the entire US federal public health system is led by (*checks notes*) Covid deniers.
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Ben Wright @ben-wright.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
I am inspired by many of my colleagues fighting the good fight here in Texas, but wrote this for the rest of y'all: www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...
insidehighered.com
How Not to Talk About Colleagues in Texas, Florida (opinion)
We’re not fighting a lost cause.
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
Love this idea
nytimes.com
Japan’s New Care Workers: Bodybuilders, Wrestlers and M.M.A. Fighters
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
I used to be a big fan of Mel Gibson and his movies. I cannot imagine writing something like this about him. I feel the loss of not being able to enjoy Road Warrior like I used to (and glad for post-gibson Road Warrior movies)
nytimes.com
Opinion | Why I Still Love Michael Jackson
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vijay iyer @vijayiyer.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
“There’s no neutrality on a runaway train.” Shoutout once again to @aaup.org (gift link to the NY Crimes, which pitifully attempts to bothsides this by linking to ‘many [i.e., two] ruminations about the group’s “fall” and “unraveling”’) www.nytimes.com/2026/04/24/u...
nytimes.com
A Professor Union Grows Fast as It Ramps Up Its Fight Against Trump
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ProPublica Guild @propublicaguild.org · 08/04/2026
We’re on strike today! Support our fight for a fair contract by NOT visiting the @propublica.org website or engaging with ProPublica stories today. Tell ProPublica’s management you won’t cross the picket line: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...
We're on strike! Don't visit propublica.org on April 8
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
The problem with Daredevil: Born Again s2 is the same as the problem with #Daredevil. Too. Much. Fisk. A tediously boring villain, now more current eventsy bc corrupt just like the tedious, grotesque POTUS. I like my trenchant escapism more escape-y, please. #DaredevilBornAgain
media.tenor.com
a man in a daredevil costume is standing in front of a brick building .
Alt: a man in a daredevil costume is standing in front of a brick building .
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
"if the rate of 65 publications with at least one invalid reference out of some 4,000 publications analysed holds across the academic literature, it would suggest that more than 110,000 of the 7 million or so scholarly publications from 2025 contain invalid references."
nature.com
Hallucinated citations are polluting the scientific literature. What can be done?
Tens of thousands of publications from 2025 might include invalid references generated by AI, a Nature analysis suggests.
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Chelle💙🫶 The Sarcastic Crusader of BlueSky @chellelavixen.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
I want to thank our Allies for telling Trump to go fuck himself over the Iran war. You have to punch a bully in the face.
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Faine Greenwood @faineg.com · 02/04/2026
the “combing through and finding weird little details that interest me” part of research is so crucial
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Jon Phillips @jowiph.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Tapping the sign
A young woman (the youtuber Strange Aeons, I believe) in a shirt, tie, vest, and party hat, in front of a microphone, with a powerpoint slide behind her that reads "The greatest research skill you can have is being a nosy bitch who wants to find out"
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Oh, Bob. No. No nonononooooo.
consequence.net
Bob Dylan's AI "Lectures from the Grave" Are an Accidental Warning for What Not to Do
Bob Dylan's new AI "Lectures from the Grave" Patreon series is available for $5 a month to the curious and masochistic.
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The Onion @theonion.com · 25/03/2026
Archaeological Dig Uncovers Ancient Race Of Skeleton People theonion.com/archaeological-dig-unc…
Archaeological Dig Uncovers Ancient Race Of Skeleton People
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @ocasio-cortez.house.gov · 25/03/2026
Democrats put 9 bills forward to fund TSA. Trump and Republicans blocked every bill because they want to tie TSA workers’ paychecks to billions in more unchecked funding for ICE. The answer is clear: fund TSA and not ICE.
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
@nytimes.com with the hardhitting news that exposes the true costs of war
NY Times headline In Dubai, the world’s luxury brands face a wartime crisis with a picture of a luxury mall
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L.A. TACO @lataco.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Civil Rights icon, @doloreshuerta, made a brave move today, revealing a secret she had been holding for 60 years for the sake of the Farm Workers movement. You can read her letter here: medium.com/@dolores_hue...
Civil Rights Icon, Dolores Huerta, Concealed Two
Children After Cesar Chavez Raped Her
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John Bull @garius.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
It is the anniversary of the My Lai massacre today. I'd say that even more than most years, it's important to remember what happened. And the role Hugh Thompson, an active serviceman, played in both stopping and publicising it. Despite enormous military, political and public pressure to stay quiet.
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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 10/03/2026
‘Hey’ came before ‘hi,’ and ‘hi' came before ‘hello.’ ‘Hi’ is most likely a variant of ‘hey.’ ‘Hello’ is not related to either. Goodbye.
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
I’m getting a new knee next week. Gimme your best tips, advice, life hacks, things you wish you knew when you were recovering from knee replacement surgery. Cute orangeboi in payment
Adorable orange and white cat stretched on a colorful paisley bedspread
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Coincidences that are probably not coincidences #AbolishICE
nytimes.com
Key Witness Who Disputed ICE Account of Fatal Texas Shooting Dies in Car Accident
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Heather Cherone @heathercherone.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
BREAKING: A push to name one of Chicago’s snowplows “Abolish ICE,” clearly linking the humorous pun to efforts to oppose President Donald Trump’s mass deportation effort, won the city’s annual snowplow naming contest, officials announced. @wttw.bsky.social
news.wttw.com
‘Abolish ICE’, ‘Caleb Chilliams’ Among Winners of Annual Snowplow Naming Contest
The other winners of the fourth annual contest were Stephen Coldbert, Pope Frío XIV, The Blizzard of Oz, Svencoolie and Caleb Chilliams, Chicago officials announced.
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Daniel Bellingradt @dbellingradt.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
Here is the article featuring this easy question: www.chronicle.com/article/is-e...
chronicle.com
Is Email Making Professors Stupid?
It used to simplify crucial tasks. Now it’s strangling scholars’ ability to think.
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Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
In 1854, after watching the federal government deploy 2000 federal troops and spend $40,000 sending Anthony Burns back into slavery, Boston's Amos Adams Lawrence said “we went to bed one night old-fashioned, conservative, Compromise Union Whigs and waked up stark mad Abolitionists.”
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Dr Syd @sydmj.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
What if, for 106 years, we’ve been mispronouncing it, and it’s actually Frank’s Reo Hot
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It's ME(Jaime) @exceedhergrasp1.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
Can the judiciary name DOJ as a vexatious litigant, already? Real lawyers, I'd love to hear more about this
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